What could have been
by EvilQueensDaughterRapunzel
Summary: Au! Regina discovers a dark secret of her mother while in the clock Tower in 2.15! Please Review!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, guys! This is a complete AU. To make a few things clear:**

**Zelena was never born**

**Johanna is not killed in this one**

**Hope you´ll like it! I don´t own anything. If I would it would be whole lot more different.**

She stood in the clock tower holding her servant´s heart in her hands and squeezing it hard. Her mother stood tall and proud next to her while Snow White begged for the old woman´s life giving Cora the dagger.

,,Such a good girl." The old witch grooned and looked at the servant with a sneer. Johanna coughed as the younger brunette released the pressure around her glowing heart. She stared at the former Queen for a moment before giving her attention to Cora.

,,Tell her, Cora. Tell her the whole truth." She demanded weakly almost fainting. The former Miller´s daughter just laughed at that. ,,Why should I?" she asked challenging.

,,Tell me what?" asked Regina confused while looking between the two older woman. She didn´t understand what her mother could still be hiding after revealing the truth about Queen Eva´s death? She needed to know.

,,Tell her! She deserved to know what else happened to make her a Queen." Johanna was pleading now. All of them were curious. All but Cora. She seemed nervous something Regina never saw in her mother before.

,,I-I uh- I´m not- I´m not your mother." The witch whispered stammering. Although it was loud enough for all of them to hear. Without another word the younger brunette disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke while tears ran down her rosy cheeks. Her whole life was a lie. The woman she called ´Mama´ all her life had not given birth to her.

She was in the middle oft he forest now, her knees pulled to her body and her head on them. She remembered everything now. Her first word had been ´Mama´, the woman she always wanted to make proud wasn´t her mother. It still wouldn´t sink in.

_At the hospital…_

After Regina disappeared Cora did too and Snow and David brought poor Johanna to the hospital. The older woman was resting as Snow held her hand.

,,Johana? How did you know that Cora wasn´t Regina´s mother?" the former princess asked her nurse maid carefully. Johanna didn´t know how to explain.

,,I´m her mother." She aswered still very weak from almost being killed. She only had two pictures in mind: One oft he little girl she gave away long ago and the second oft hat little girl now a grown woman holding her heart in her hands. The pair was rather shocked by her confession and looked at her to continue.

,,Years ago a woman knocked on my gottage door and asked for the child I was going to bare. She said she was barren and needed the child to make her the future Queen. I was really poor and after the death of my husband, Regina´s father, I couldn´t take care of myself. So how could I take care of a baby? She promised me money and that the child would be well treated so I agreed. What other choice did I have? I couldn´t let my child die. When Regina was born she came and asked what I wanted to name her. I wanted to name her Rapunzel for the little curls she had, however Cora said it was not a name fit for a Queen. So she named her Regina. I never thought I would ever see her again. But now I know that it wasn´t destiny that brought her back to me but Cora. She planned it all. And killed my little girl´s true love and with him my little girl dyed inside. If I hadn´t given her away we wouldn´t be here." The woman explained saddened. Tears running down her face. Snow couldn´t believe it. Johanna was really Regina´s mother. Now she felt even guiltier for telling Cora the truth all those years ago. But if she hadn´t Regina and Johanna would have never met.

_Back in the forest…_

It was getting dark now but she didn´t care. Her eyes were red and puffy from all the tears she´s shed and her body was getting colder every minute. Sighing the brunette ran a hand through her cropped locks and remembered how Cora cut her floor lenght curls off when she was sixteen and how Johanna brushed her hair ever so gently when she was Queen and Cora had long gone to Wonderland. Now she knew why the old servant was always so kind to her. Always listening to her and giving her advice when she was still a very unexperienced young woman. Still a virgin before the King stole all her innocence from her. And how the servant comforted her after every night with the much older man.

She also wondered about what could have been had she been raised by her real mother. Would Daniel and her still have met? Would she still have turned out the way she did? From a kind, loving young girl to a coldhearted revenge seeking Witch Queen?

All this questions ran through her head and more.

Who was her real father? Where was he? Was he still alive? Why did her mother give her away to that terrible woman in the first place? Was she not wanted by her mother? Was she not enough? Or was she just chess figure in it all to get her mother to a higher status?

She didn´t know what lay in the future for her now and she was afraid by that. She always liked having the control but she never really had that until she became the Evil Queen everyone feared. Regina never wanted that life. It was always Cora. She was behind it all. She even knew about Daniel before young Snow White told her. It was all planned. She was never supposed to be happy.

At this point she didn´t care about the coldness around her anymore and just cryed harder.

**Thanks for reading! Well that was the first chapter. Any thoughts on it? Just let me know. I´m not a native english speaker so please be kind!**


	2. Chapter 2

**So this ist he second chapter! Hope you like it. Please review and let me know if you have any ideas or suggestions for this story.**

_**Enchanted Forest, Several years ago:**_

_Johanna stood in her little cottage and rubbed her swollen belly lovingly while gazing out the window. Rumors had it that the new princess oft he kingdom had come tot he village but no one knew why. Suddenly she heard baging on the door and went to open it. She couldn´t believe her eyes as she gazed into the new princess´ face. _

_,,Your Highness." The slightly older woman bowed and let the regal woman into her small home. Cora took a seat on the only table in the house and looked around. ,,Would you like something to drink?" questioned Johanna. The young witch just shook her head. _

_,,I heard your husband died a month ago. You must be really sad. And just think about the poor baby. Never meeting ist father. It must be hard considering that you don´t have any money. How will you care fort he child?" the words were spoken sweetly but Johanna could sense the true meaning behind them. Cora mocked her. Cleary amused by her pain. _

_,,What do you want?" demanded the peasent sharply. Cora mock- flinched at the harsh tone. _

_,,I want to help you. Cleary you can´t afford for a child and I need a child. The deal is easy. You´ll give me the child after it is born and I´ll give you money, as much as you want." She explained and reached out a hand to stroke the other woman´s belly. Johanna could see the longing in the princess´ chocolate coloured eyes. Sighing she shook her head. She just lost her husband. She couldn´t lose her child too. Not for all money in the world would she give her baby to a spoiled royal but then again the other woman was once a peasent too. It wouldn´t be fair to the baby if she kept it. Cora was right she couldn´t take care of herself so how would she take care of a baby?! This was the baby´s best change she realized saddend. _

_,,Will it be well treated? Will it be loved?" she asked softly, still unsure of the other woman´ s intensions. Cora just nodded and stood up. _

_,,Do we have a deal?" she asked extending her hand for the other woman to shake._

_,,Yes." Johanna said sighing and shook Cora´s hand._

_,,Your decision will be rewarded for one day she will be a Queen." Cora explained. _

_,,She? It will be a girl? How do you know?" the poor woman asked suddenly unsure._

_,,I just know. I can feel it." _

_And she was right for a few months later Johanna gave birth to little girl. A beautiful baby with shining brown eyes and a head full of brown curls. ´Just like her father´, Johanna thought painfully. She only had a few minutes to hold her baby because Cora came right after the birth to retrieve her price. With tears in her eyes the new mother handed the babe to the witch and looked at her for one final time. ,,Did you have a name in mind?" Cora asked although she didn´t really care. She already knew what she would name the girl. The future Queen! _

_,,Rapunzel" the other woman choked out while tears ran down her cheeks. ,,Her name is Rapunzel." _

_Cora just shook her head. This would not do at all. It was ridiculous. _

_,,No. This name is not fit for a future Queen. Her name shall be Regina." And with that being said the enchantress disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke. Leaving the sad woman to grieve alone._

_**Storybrooke, Present Day: The Woods**_

The cold had gotten the better of her. Leaving the young woman unconscious on the hard ground. Her whole body shaking from the cold. She lay there for hours while the her family was searching for the young woman.

Henry was leading the group to where he suspected his mother to be. She always went to that place when she wanted to be alone. So it was no wonder that the small group found her at the exact spot.

,,Mom?" the young boy asked insecure and carefully shook her shoulders. Emma quickly took him by the shoulders to get him away from the scene. Seeing his mother this way would surely scare him for life. David and Snow tried shaking her awake too, but sadly to no avail. After a while there decided to bring her to the hospital where she could be looked after. And where Johanna was. No one had heard about Cora after the clock tower incident and that was not really a good sign.

By arriving at the hospital Doctor Whale immediately examined Regina while the others waited in Johanna´s hospital room.

,,So, you are my Grandma?´´ Henry asked the old woman with a warm smile that reached his eyes. Johanna smiled back laughing amused.

,,I guess so, young man." she motioned for him to hug her and he gladly did so clearly enjoying the comfort. He didn´t want to admit it but he was rather scared for his Mom. They didn´t go on good terms and he was really sorry for that. He did love her even though she was evil. To him she would always be his mother. That would never change.

The young boy wondered what it was like for his mother to find out the truth after so many years. He himself found out he was adopted when he was 4 but Regina was 34 and was a big difference. ´It must be terrible for her.´, the brown eyed teen thought guilty. This was why she stayed in the cold for so long. She could not take that much information at once. Her whole life was a lie while he always knew the truth.

Snow looked on while Johanna didn´t want to let go. Having a child in her arms again made her feel good. She missed it all out with Regina and now she was gifted with a grandchild. It was all so overwhelming so she began to cry.

,,It will be ok, Johanna. She will be ok." the former princess tried to comfort the older woman but she herself was scared too. She felt so terrible for Regina. Growing up with Cora obviously damaged Regina but finding out that Cora wasn´t her real mother must have killed her. It was really not fair that Regina had to endure it all just because Cora acted very selfish and manipulated poor Johanna. It could have been all so different if not for the heartless woman.


	3. Chapter 3

**And here is the next chapter! Hope you like it and please review! I really want to here what you all think about it. And if you have any ideas please let me know.**

After hours of waiting Whale came into Johanna´s room where they were all waiting to hear if Regina was ok. Johanna was really nervous and squeezed both Snow and Henry´s hands tightly. She felt so terrible for what happened. She never wanted this, but she almost dyed and her last wish was that her daughter would know the truth.

,,And? Is my mom ok now?" Henry asked the blonde doctor nervously. He wanted her to be fine so badly. After everything that had happened he still loved her deep down. He couldn´t lose her.

Whale looked at them all then he looked at the clipboard in his hands and sighed.

,,We could stabilize her but she is still very weak. She was freezing when you brought her here and she is still cold but we could rise up her temperature to an almost normal degree. So she should be fine in a few days." Victor answered honestly. All of them sighed relieved and Henry even smiled a little. He was so glad that she would be fine. The young boy didn´t know what he had done if she wasn´t going to be fine again.

,,Can we see her now?" asked Snow for Johanna´s sake. The older woman was squeezing her hand so tightly that her knuckles went white. Whale nodded and Johanna stood up ready to face her little girl. ,,But she is still very weak so please be careful." the doctor reminded her before she left the room followed by Henry. They both were nervous to see her.

As they entered the room the maid said down on a stool next to the bed and grabbed one of her daughter´s small hands. Back in the Enchanted Forest she often watched Regina sleeping without the girl´s knowledge. But on nights when Leopold requested her presence in his bedchamber she wasn´t allowed to enter and watch her daughter sleeping.

Her daughter looked nothing herself now. She looked so pale and small in the big white hospital bed and was slightly shivering from the cold. She always had been small. When she was born Johanna feared she wouldn´t survive because she was so small. However she herself had been always small too so it must have been the genes. Still for a woman feared by so many she was not really strong-looking as a result of her height.

Henry sat across from her on the other stool. Neither of them said a word until they Regina awoke.

,,Mama?" was the first thing they heard from the brunette. Johanna´s heart swelled with pride at hearing the endearment she wanted to hear for so long.

,,I´m here, sweetheart. I´m here. And I won´t ever leave you again." the old servant replied with tears in her eyes and kissed the younger woman´s head.

Unbeknownst to them they weren´t alone. Cora was watching them furious. She couldn´t let this happen. She needed her daughter to help her become the new Dark One!

But maybe this was a good thing after all. After becoming the Dark One she could kill the servant and everyone else she wanted to die.

And she would get her daughter back and turn her into something dark. Something evil. She would win in the end she was sure of that. She just had to be patient.

**Enchanted Forest, Several Years Ago:**

_It had been a few days since she got the baby and she wouldn´t stop crying. It drove her insane! Her husband Henry tried to calm her. Saying that it was normal for babies to cry. She doubted though that babies cried that much. When Regina was in Henry´s arms she never cried that much, only when she held her. Cora seriously thought about giving her back to her real mother but the new princess needed the girl for her plan to work. She needed her to get her revenge on Princess Eva, who was now a Queen. _

_A few years later…_

_Regina was now six years old and was already very beautiful with big brown eyes that could melt even the hardest of hearts and long thick brown curls that flowed down her back . She was loved by everyone in the small castle but not her mother. Even at such a tender age she could feel that her mother was not loving her. Everytime she tried to get her mother´s attention the older woman would turn her down without a second thought. She had one goal to achieve that would make her mother proud. She had to become Queen. However the small girl didn´t want that at all. Rather than being locked in the castle she wanted to go to the village and play with the other children. But her mother would never allow that. Regina was to stay inside at all times. Only with Cora´s permission she was allowed to go to the castle garden or to the stables._

_The stable was her favourite place. She loved horses so it was no surprise that her father gifted her with one on her birthday. It was a small brown mare and they immediately bounded. Regina named him Rocinate. He also gifted her with a sabling of an apple tree. Like Rocinate the apple tree grew like she did. They were both her only friends._

_Another thing her mother didn´t like about her was her long hair. The witch wanted to cut it every time she was brushing it for her daughter. But she was always stopped by her husband who was otherwise a coward. However when it came to his daughter´s hair he would always stand up to his strong- headed wife. He just couldn´t take it to see his little girl unhappy and he knew a haircut would likely make her unhappy. _

_Regina however loved it when her mother was brushing her hair. In small moments like that she felt like she was loved even though she could tell that her mother was not enjoying it at all. _

_The older woman always wore a tight- lipped smile that never reached her eyes while stroking the young girl´s hair. _

_Also there were the punishments her mother forced upon her when she was misbehaving. Magic was her greatest fear because of her mother. Cora always squeezed her small body with magic until she gave in. _

_At night she would always cry herself to sleep and wish a fairy would take her away from this terrible place. But this fairy never came. She was all alone in the world without a real friend and without love._


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 everybody! Hope you guys like it. And thanks so much for the kind words so far. **

A few days later Regina was finally released from the hospital and could go home. When she entered her white mansion something felt off. It just didn´t feel right. She felt as doe she was being watched. Shaking it off the brunette went into the living room. What waited for her made her feel uncomfortable. Her heart sinked into her stomach as she went further into the large white room. Corawas sitting in one of the white arm chairs wearing one of Regina´s mayoral suits. The older woman didn´t say anything at first noting her daughter´s distress with a smirk on her red lips.

,,Hello, Regina. You´ve been gone for a while. I was getting a little worried, love." Her guardian´s voice send shivers down Regina´s spine. She knew that under the sweet words lay a silent treat. It reminded her of her childhood. The witch always used that tone before a punishment.

,,What are you doing here? Do you really think I want anything from you now that I know the truth? You lied to me! You lied my whole life! Now get out or I´ll make you!" the young woman shouted angrily and pointed to the front door. She couldn´t deal with Cora right now. It was all too overwhelming. All the emotions that were running through her were all too much. Seeing Cora sitting there clearly enjoying her struggle reminded her all too of the past she wanted so desperately to forget.

,,You will not speak with me in that tone! I was not the one who threw you away. I raised you. I made you the way you are now. She didn´t want you! She gave you to me willingly so stop acting like I´m the only one to blame." Cora stood up furiously. She would not listen to such a spoiled brat!

,,You killed Daniel! You cut my hair! You forced me to marry a man who could have been my grandfather! You, not her. She only wanted what was best for me. She didn´t know that you were a total bitch. She didn´t want me to live a life in poverty." She was screaming now. Tears were running down her cheeks. Her words only angered the heartless woman further though.

,,You will not talk to me like that! I will not go until Rumple is dead. And to accomplish that I need you. So put yourself together or I´ll kill ´your mother´!" Cora too was screaming now. The former Queen just shook her head stubbornly. She knew though that talking back would make everything harder. Her mother was very short tempered and didn´t like disobedience. Especially not from her daughter.

Furiously Cora flicked her wrist and send her daughter flying into a wall. Regina took on last glance at the woman who raised her before her head lulled back and the darkness took over leaving her unconscious. The old enchantress just smiled wickedly before approaching the young woman and taking her chin into her hands. Her empty eyes landed on the ever growing brunette curls of her daughter and she snapped. She always hated that hair and maybe taking it away a second time would help convince her daughter to work with her. And she still had the cricket on Hook´s ship so maybe he could help too. After hours of torture he finally gave in and told her of his biggest weakness which unfortunately was Regina.

_A few days later…_

Henry was worried. He hadn´t heard from his mom since she got released from the hospital and sensed that something was wrong.

After talking to his family about it they called Regina but no one was picking up. So they decided to call Johanna and together drove to the mayoral mansion. Ringing the doorbell was hopeless. No one was opening so Henry took his key and opened the large white door.

,,Mom?" the young boy called but there was still no answer. All of them were worried now. They searched in every room of the big house however there was no sigh of Regina. Then there was the living room. On one of the walls was blood where Regina was trown into the wall and there was hair lying on the floor. Regina´s hair.

,,Someone must have taken her. Cora maybe. We haven´t heard from her since the clock tower incident." observed Snow. Johanna just nodded silently scanning the cut off hair on the floor. It reminded her of what Regina told her about when she found her daughter´s cut off hair in one of her drawers back in the old world. Cora cut her hair off when she was sixteen as punishment. She didn´t know why it was cut and she never dared to ask. The old woman kneeled down and picked up the cut hair taking in the familiar scent of apples. Regina´s hair always smelled like apples.

Tears were suddenly leaving her piercing blue eyes. It had to be Cora there was no other explanation. The evil woman was the only one who would be capable of such a cruel thing. They had to find her daughter before it was too late. The word ´Mama´ echoed in her ear. Regina needed her to be strong now more than ever.

Snow kneeled down beside her and laid a hand on her right shoulder and looked at the hair too. She too thought it to be one of the cruelest things one could possibly do. There was no doubt that it was Cora. The older woman always envied her daughter´s beauty. No one ever told her that but the girl could still remember how Cora always looked at the younger brunette when she wasn´t watching. And she most certainly envied her beautiful thick brown locks.

Henry was just looking at his mother´s blood on the wall and the hair and cried too. He remembered how he heard his mother crying at night when he was small and now he knew why. After finding out about the adoption he pushed her away not caring that it would remind her of the woman who pushed her away. They needed to get her out of this!

**Thanks for reading everyone. And please don´t forget to review! **


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 is here! I hope you are all excited. There will be a lot of feelings going on in this chapter. So I hope you like it and please review!**

_Regina´s mansion, a few days earlier…_

_After making sure that her daughter was really out cold she went into the kitchen and took a big pair of kitchen shears out of the top drawer. After closing the drawer again the vain woman went back to the large living room and kneed in front of the younger woman. Driven by anger and jealousy she grabbed a portion of silky soft brown hair and cut it off. She watched it falling slowly to the floor with a smug look on her face before she continued to cut off another portion of hair. Then another and another. More and more hair fell to the carpeted floor but she still continued. Soon though there was more hair on the floor than on the beauty´s head so she stopped. Cora smiled to herself as she admired her work and when she was satisfied she teleported the two of them to Hook´s ship._

_Hook´s ship, a few days earlier…_

Archie was sleeping in his cell when Cora came into the small room with an unconscious Regina. However she didn´t look like Regina he thought as he looked closely, his eyes still heavy with sleep. She had short hair, he noted, much like Snow´s but rougher and a little shorter. He also noticed the gash she had at the back of her head as the witch threw her down on the ground.

,,Hey!" he shouted at her but was ignored by the wicked enchantress. The therapist looked at the beautiful woman on the ground and went over to her. He couldn´t believe what Cora had done to her own daughter. Carefully he lifted her head up and ripped a piece of cloth from his shirt to stop the bleeding and wrapped it around her head. She looked so peaceful but he knew better than to be fooled like that. The doctor knew her more than anyone in town. He knew most of her secrets but sensed that there were many more that he still didn´t know. Slowly and carefully the young man stroked her now much too short hair and sighed.

_A few hours later…_

It was dark when she awoke in Archie´s lap. The only light was coming from a small dimmed lamp at the other side of the room. It was not her house she noted and immediately panicked. Where was she and why? What made her tense even more was that she had been lying on a person´s lap. As she looked closer she could make out the person. It was Archie! But that couldn´t be, Archie was dead. Was she dead? Or was this all just a dream?

The last thing she remembered was her mother throwing her into a wall. Cora! She was behind it all. She made it look like Archie was dead so that she would work with her. Sighing the chocolate-eyed woman ran a hand through her hair and was shocked to find that it was only a few inches long. Almost immediately she began to sob with tears rolling down her cheeks. Her head was pounding from when Cora threw her into the wall and she felt a piece of cloth around her head.

At hearing the faint sound of sobbing Archie awoke and saw Regina crying into her hands. The ginger-haired man slowly crawled over to her before embracing her. ,,Shh, it will be okay. Your hair will grow back." He tried to sooth her but sadly it was in vain. She just wouldn´t stop crying. Seeing her like this made him want to kiss away all her pain but he knew that the brunette wouldn´t want that. Stubbornly she shook her head and ended the comforting hug.

,,But that will take ages! Do you have any idea how long it took to grow it out after Cora cut it the first time? Eighteen years! It took me eighteen years just so that gets short again because of this fucking curse!" she shouted angrily at the poor guy. He sat there dump-founded for a moment.

He gulped before adding: ,,Regina, I know your life must have been terrible. Especially after losing Daniel but keeping it to yourself won´t help you. You have to talk about it someday." Regina seemed to think it through for a long moment. He was right though she concluded. Silence never helped anybody.

She sighed before wiping her tears away and began to speak.

,,I don´t know when it started but I must have been really small. It first thing I can clearly remember is that she almost choke me to death one day because I went to see my horse without her permission. I think I was seven or eight." the brunette confessed in a scared tone of voice. She shivered at the thought of it.

_Flashback:_

_Her mother wasn´t at home so her father took her to the stable to ride Rocinante. However when Cora came home and found them practicing in the field she was furious. Her daughter was supposed to be at her lessons but instead her husband let her waste away her day riding on the stupid horse she seemed to love so much. Without them noticing she flicked her wrist and Regina got suddenly lifted into the air. The little girl then noticed her mother standing a few meters behind her confused father. At his daughters scared look he turned around and looked into his wife´s smug face. _

_,,Cora, let her go!" he ordered. The witch just laughed into his face before tightly choking her daughter with magic. By Regina´s ear piercing scream he stared shocked between his wife and his daughter. He could only watch though. The prince knew that Cora wouldn´t listen to him. All he could do was staring helplessly at the small girl and saw how her face began to turn slightly blue. After what felt like hours to him she finally let go and the little brunette fell to the ground. _

_,,Next time you better ask before you go outside without my permission, young lady!" shouted Cora before strolling back to the castle. After getting out of his trance the olderly man ran over to his weak daughter and took her in his arms. _

_,,Daddy?" Regina asked weakly. _

_,,I´m here, princess. I´m so sorry that I couldn´t do something. I´m a terrible father." He answered with tears in his shining brown eyes._

Archie couldn´t believe it. He knew it wouldn´t be good but this was not in the slightest what he expected. ,,I´m sorry. No child should be treated like that. Especially not by its own mother." At that Regina laughed darkly.

,,She is not my mother, Archie. My real mother gave me away after I was born. I don´t blame her she didn´t know who she was giving her child to. Cora played the nice and caring wowan with her." The young man was shocked to hear that. ,,I know big news. I only found out a week ago. My real mother was my chamber maid back in our land." She explained with a sad smile.

,,And how does this make you feel?" the doctor in him wanted to know it so bad. He wanted to know everything about this beautiful woman in front of him. Even with her hair short she still was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

,,I don´t know." She started with a big sigh. ,,I mean Cora was terrible and Johanna is so kind and loving. I could talk to her about everything and now finding out that she is my mother it´s just all so overwhelming. I still feel resentment towards her because she gave me away but I already love her as if we always had that mother\daughter bond. It is just all so complicated." The brunette explained while playing with her short hair.

,,It is okay to say that, Regina. She gave you away and it is alright to feel resentment but you have to try and forgive. I understand that for you forgiving isn´t easy but she is your mother. Maybe this is the second chance you dreamed of for so long." The therapist added in a comforting voice.

,,Yeah maybe. But Cora did such terrible things to me. She killed Daniel, cut off all my hair and so many other things." At that point he just wanted take her in his arms and never let go. He wanted to protect her from all this however he knew that it was already too late for that.

,,How old were you? When she cut your hair I mean?" he suddenly found himself asking. By that she started to cry again and fought with her words for a little while.

,,I was sixteen. It was my first haircut and she did it to punish me for running away." She finally said.

_Flashback:_

_Regina rode Rocinante as fast as she could through the still dark forest. She never wanted to do this but she had to get away from her mother. She was almost over the border to King George´s Kingdom however suddenly Rocinante neighed scared and threw the young brunette off._

_A few hours later..._

_Cora was fuming. Her daughter had really run and the only thing she got was a scared horse!  
>,,Cora, she will come back. Don't worry." her husband tried to calm but it was in vein.<em>

_,,Oh yes she will! And when she gets back her horse will be dead and her tree will be burnt!" she shouted furiously. Henry couldn't believe her. Would she really go that far?_

_,,No Cora! You can't do that! Please don't!" he begged her. _

_,,What should I do then, hm?" it was a rethorical question and he knew. He just feared for his daughter´s happiness. He knew killing Rocinante and burning her tree would likely make her unhappy. Before he could say anything else though Cora disappeared in a puff of purple smoke._

_The old witch reappeared in the middle of the forest where Regina sat leaning on a tree with her head on her knee. She had been crying all night. However of course Cora didn't care she just dragged her by her almost foot long hair to her room after transporting herself and her daughter back to the castle. Henry followed them suit and shouted after his enraged wife._

_,,Sit!" the witch ordered and pointed to the girls vanity. The young princess did as she was told but she was scared._

_Cora just smirked while picking up a big pair of scissors. ,,Such beautiful hair and such a shame." She mocked sighed while running her fingers through Regina´s silky soft locks. ,,But well, it is a good thing then that I never liked your hair." She added smirking while tugging on a portion of the long hair._

_Regina watched her nervously through the mirror and flinched away from the offending silverly object. But she would not escape Cora's grip._

_Her grip around Regina's hair was so strong that she couldn't move away._

_As her mother started cutting and the first locks were falling the young girl started crying again. She loved her hair so much she couldn't take it. More and more hair fell and Cora enjoyed every bit of it. While Regina still tried to get away._

_Henry was watching it all and couldn´t believe his wife. After a long while Cora put away the scissor and smiled at Regina through the mirror. Her hair just touched her ears and was a little uneven. The young girl didn´t dare to look at herself now. She felt so ugly and her head felt so much lighter without her hair. _

_,,Look at yourself now, Regina. Look closely than this happens to girls who try to run from their mothers. Try it one more time and the next thing you lose will be your father." After saying this she looked at her scared husband and smirked. Then she left the room without another word. _

_When her mother was gone Regina ran past her father and out of the castle to her only friend Daniel the new stable boy. _

_Daniel was tending to Rocinante when suddenly Regina burst into the stable. He saw her short hair and how heartbroken she was and immediately pulled her in a tight embrace. _

_,,Hey, it is okay. You are still beautiful." He tried to sooth the crying princess._

_,,You think so?" he just nodded and she smiled sadly. _

He didn´t know what to say it was all so mush. All the talking wore Regina out and she laid her head in his lap while he stroked her hair.

,,It is terrible! I look so ugly now." The brunette said sad. He just shook his head and smiled at her.

,,No you aren´t! You are and will always be the most beautiful woman I know. It is not your hair that makes you beautiful but your personality." Archie reminded her with a loving smile on his face. Regina smiled back and asked: ,,You think so?" he nodded and she smiled proudly.

After that she fell asleep again and when the green-eyed doctor was sure that she was really asleep he planted a sweet kiss on her forehead and then went to sleep too.

**I know it is very long and there is a lot of talking going on but please don´t hate! And thank you my lovely readers for your ideas!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! Sorry I haven´t updated in ages but I had problems with ideas for this chapter however thanks to EvilQueenRegina I can finally start writing again! So please enjoy! While reading you should listen to Art Of Suicide by Emilie Autumn.**

They were both sleeping peacefully when Cora came into the small room and saw her daughter´s head in his lap and his hand holding hers. Fuming the witch stumped her feet and went over to Regina and kicked her hard in the legs. Startled the younger brunette softly groaned in pain.

,,Wake up!" Cora screamed waking both her daughter and the cricket. Regina looked horrified between Archie and her mother and scrambled into a corner. She was scared to say the least. Every time Cora woke her up like that something bad always followed. As a little girl it always brought her nightmares but now she was terrified. The woman in front of her was not her mother anymore. This woman was unreadable for the young woman.

,,Oh Regina, I thought I had raised you better than that. Love is weakness! If you want to be of any use to me you should let go of this childish dreams and fantasies you still seem to hold dear. Daniel is dead! No one will ever love you. You are just like me, my love, you are evil. " she began but Regina shook her head. She couldn´t let her mother get to her. She needed to be strong.

The old witch just laughed and stroked her daughter´s shorn locks. When she was little it used to comfort her when her mother would brush her fingers through the thick strands she then possessed however she knew better by now and immediately tensed.

,,Do you really think your boy loves you? He has the savior now and doesn´t need you anymore. And your mother doesn´t love you either. How could she after everything you´ve done? You were too evil for too long and now no one wants you anymore. But I can help you, my dear. Together we can get Rumple´s dagger and then all your problems will vanish. You just have to comply." The sweet words felt like poison in Regina´s mind but she saw truth in them after all.

Archie noticed the change in Regina and wanted to make a move. He couldn´t let the love of his life fall apart. He needed to help her. Slowly he stood up and went over to the beautiful woman.

,,Regina, don´t listen to her! She is lying. She only wants to hurt you. She only uses you to get what she wants. She-" he was cut off by Cora´s magic. She lifted him in the air and chocked him like she did so many years ago with Regina.

,,Enough!" she shouted angrily.

,,Mother, stop! Please! Her daughter begged of her and got between her and the young man. Suddenly it all made sense to Cora. Regina was in love with the cricket and he was in love with her daughter. Then suddenly she snapped.

She grabbed the younger brunette by the wrist and dragged her into another room very similar to the one where Archie was in but smaller. The mad woman threw her adopted daughter down so that she landed on her knees and left.

A few moments later she came back with something behind her back. She pulled a chair from the small table in the room in front of her and pointed to it. ,,Sit down!" the witch ordered sharply but Regina made no move. She was curled up into a tiny ball on the floor and didn´t dare to move or speak in fear of what the older woman would do to her. The young brunette had a few ideas already in her head. The last time Cora did that she lost all her beautiful hair. However that couldn´t be because her hair was already short. `What could she possibly have planned for me now?´, Regina thought horrified.

Cora had enough and pulled her daughter up before dragging her to the stool and sitting her down. All Regina wanted to do in this moment was run. But there was no way her mother would ever let her escape. Suddenly she heard roaring of clippers behind her and immediately panicked. The witch just cackled evilly and ran the offending device over her daughter´s already short locks. Hair fell around her shoulders and onto the ground and she began to cry. She always dreaded that moment.

Her mother noticed her pain with a smug grin on her ever aging face. After a while the roaring stopped and Regina was now completely bald. Cora held up a mirror so that she could see herself and she immediately started to cry harder and sobbed into her small hands. ,,Will you help me now?" the old witch asked tired of her daughter´s weakness. However the younger brunette still shook her head stubbornly. This only angered Cora further and she threw the still beautiful woman onto the hard ground. Her knees clashed against the wood but she didn´t let her pain show. She had always been stubborn as was Cora so it was unclear who would win this fight.

The older brunette undressed her daughter so that she was only wearing her bra and her underwear and a skirt. Her upper body was almost naked. Then suddenly she felt the hard slap of a whiplash against her bare back. ,,You will comply!" Cora shouted while continuing to slap her. Regina knew that there was no turning back now. Her mother would break her no matter what it would cost. She wished not for the first time in her life that she could have had another family. Johanna loved her she knew but she still had been raised in another household. A dark household, where she never really felt loved. She knew her father had loved her but he was too weak to stand up against Cora.

Blood was dripping down her back and she screamed. She screamed so loud that she was certain the whole town had heard it by now. She didn´t want to but the pain was just so unbearable when suddenly everything stopped.

**I know cliffhanger but one of you lovely readers wanted it so here you go. Hope you like it and pretty please review? As always thanks for reading! And also tw for child abuse!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry for not updating yesterday but I needed to watch Once. **

**Please review!**

**Gold´s shop at the same time: **

The Charmings and Johanna all entered Rumple´s shop. He was their only hope to ever find Regina again but they were all not happy with it. Gold always required a price however Johanna was willing to pay anything just to get her daughter back.

,,Oh, what a lovely surprise. The whole family together. To what do owe this pleasure?" the older man asked with a grin. He knew exactly why they were coming. They were coming for Regina. Johanna was too nervous to speak so Snow spoke up first.

,,We need your help with finding Regina. She has been gone for days. Cora must have taken her. Is there any potion or spell you can give us?" she asked in a stern voice. David took her hand. He knew she was nervous too. The young woman always loved Regina, even in her Evil Queen years. Regina was the only mother she truly remembered.

,,There is." He answered and went over to a cupboard. The old man grabbed a small vale and got back to the counter. ,,This is one of Regina´s tears. To find her a second tear is needed. Whoever will give his tear needs to pour it in his or her eye and the person will feel everything Regina feels in that moment." He explained slowly looking over to Snow.

,,I will do it." She said. Everyone was shocked but supposed it was for the best. Snow thought about all the terrible things that had happened to her in the past and one single tear ran down cheek. Gold caught it in the vale and gave it to Snow. ,,What is the price?" she asked knowingly. He always wanted something.

,,This is for free. If Cora really took her then you need more than this. You´ll need someone just as powerful as Cora. I will come with you." Everyone looked at him shocked but they all knew it was true. Without him they would never be able to fight Cora. The witch was just too powerful and dangerous since she didn´t have her heart. They would likely lose without him on their side. He was their only chance. Regina needed to be rescued. For Johanna´s and Henry´s sake. The young boy needed his mom and the maid needed her daughter. They would do this. They would find her.

**At Snow´s loft:**

As soon as they got there Snow took the vale. She was ready to do this.

,,Are you sure?" David asked his wife worried. The young woman just nodded and her husband helped her pouring the salty liquid into her eye.

She was in pain. She never felt like this before. Someone was hitting her back with a whiplash. Cora! She couldn´t see very much as her eyes were slowly closing. The ground shook a little and she felt sick to her stomach. Regina always hated water.

Water! She must be on a ship.

Then the pain stopped and Snow came back to her senses.

,,What did you see?" Johanna and David asked at the same time.

,,Cora hit her. She is on Hook´s ship. It was terrible. She was screaming the whole time. For Archie! He is alive!" she concluded and slowly got up, ready to go.

They all went to the docks where the pirate ship was. It was still invisible but with Gold´s help they found it rather easily. Cora apparently wasn´t there and Hook was occupied so it was easy to get to Regina. They searched all rooms before they heard a whimpering noise. Archie was tied up and trying to get out. ,,Archie!" Emma shouted happily and untied the poor man. ,,Where is Regina?" she asked him.

He nodded to a door at the opposite side and breathed heavily. Snow, Johanna, David and Gold went to that room while Emma stayed with the man.

What they found in the room was shocking. A bald and unconscious Regina was lying on the floor in her own blood. Johanna immediately began to cry as did Snow. David carefully picked her up. They needed to get away before Cora noticed them. All of them ran up to the deck where Emma and Archie where waiting. Quickly they transported back to Gold´s shop where Gold tended to the wounds Cora left and the weak woman. She looked terrible as if she hadn´t slept or eaten in days. With her hair now completely shaved you could see the gash she had on the back of her head. All thanks to the woman who had raised her.

After the bleeding stopped Gold transported them to Johanna´s house so that Regina could rest and without Cora luring in every corner. Johanna knew this was only temporary but she was glad her daughter had finally come home to her. They would get Cora for this later. Right now they were just happy that Regina and Archie were alive and out of danger.

The therapist never left her side and was constantly holding her small hand. He truly loved her and seeing her like this broke his heart. She had been through so much already but this was just terrible. No one deserved to be treated like that. What Cora did to her was unforgivable. Henry wanted to see her too but they all decided it was better for him to not see her like this. He was still much too young to take this. Even now she was still the most beautiful woman he had ever seen and he would never leave her side again. That much was clear to everyone by now.

For Snow and the others it was weird to see them together but that would change in time. Archie was sure it would. He leaned down and softly kissed her forehead with a big content smile on his face. She was save now and that was all that he needed to be happy. They would get through this together. Cora wouldn´t be able to break them apart anymore.

**Thanks for reading! I hope you all like it. And please read my new story ´A Happy Family`! And as always please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry for the long wait in updating but I had trouble writing. Please enjoy and perhaps leave a few ideas?!**

_**Regina´s dream sequence:**_

_She was in a small cottage but didn´t know why. She had never been there before but she still seemed to __recognize it. It was her mother´s cottage. She looked down at herself and saw that she was her sixteen-year old self again. Her hair was long and she was wearing a light blue dress._

_,,Rapunzel!" a woman´s voice sounded from a far. Johanna! _

_She ran to where the voice was coming from. It was indeed her mother. The old woman was cooking some kind of soup while humming dreamingly. This was what her life could have been like, she concluded. _

_,,What is it, Mother?" Rapunzel asked softly and smiled at her mother. Johanna took her hand and went to the only table in the small room. This wasn´t going to be easy. Her daughter had her own will and was very stubborn so it wouldn´t be easy to tell her the surprising news. She guessed her daughter wouldn´t take it well. The ginger-haired woman sighed._

_,,At the market I had a chat with the miller. His son is old enough to marry and the miller has money so I thought that maybe…well I …" she stammered nervously looking at her small daughter. Rapunzel looked shocked and shook her head. This couldn´t be. _

_,,You thought I could marry him. Mother, I don´t want to marry someone I barely know. I want to marry for love. There are other ways to get us money. We could, for example, sell my hair." The young girl suggested. She loved her hair but she would let it go if it meant she could stay with her mother. Her mother was everything for her and leaving her was out of the question. She just wanted love, real love. _

_,,But you love your hair, sweetheart." Her mother cut in with a deep frown. Of all the things she had expected to hear this was not what she expected at all. Her daughter´s hair had been growing her whole life and Rapunzel always refused a haircut and suddenly she was willing to cut it all. This was not her little girl sitting in front of her._

_,,If it helps you keeping the house then it is a small price for me to pay, Mama. I just want to stay with you. I want to marry for love not for money. And if it is the only way then I´ll do it." The strong-headed girl spoke like an adult in her mother´s ears and she gave in. She couldn´t force her daughter into marriage like that. Her daughter had a free will and pushing her would make her very unhappy, Johanna knew. _

_So she went to her room to get some scissors while Rapunzel took a seat on the table. She was very nervous but it was the only way to get them money. They got some money from the fabrics her mother was making and selling at the market sometimes but other than that they didn´t get much. _

_Johanna returned with a big pair of scissors in hand and stood behind her beautiful daughter. This was a big moment for them both. She took a deep breath before taking some of the girl´s long brunette hair in her hands but she never cut anything. She just couldn´t do that to her child. The brown curls reminded her so much of her former husband. She lay the scissors down on the table and kissed her daughter´s head. _

_,,Mama?" Rapunzel questioned irritated. The old woman kneeled in front of her and began to explain._

_,,I can´t do it, sweety. We´ll find another way to get us some money." The young girl nodded and hugged her mother tightly. She knew she was truly loved._

Slowly Regina woke from her wonderful dream with a content smile. Johanna was sitting next to the bed and held her hand tightly. ,,Mama?" she asked softly before sitting up in the bed. It was not her house she noted confused and then it all came back to her. She had been kidnapped by Cora and they had rescued her. Suddenly her hand went up to her head to find that she was still bald.

,,I´m here, sweetheart, don´t worry. We´ll find a way to grow it back. In fact I already spoke to Rumple and he gave me this." She held up a small vale with a blue glowing liquid in it. It was a potion to grow back hair.

,,What did he want in return?" Regina asked worried.

,,Nothing. He gave it to me willingly." Johanna answered smiling at her daughter. Regina smiled back remembering her dream.

,,I had a dream. It was our life. The life we could have had together. I just wish it could have been real." The younger woman explained and took the vale from her mother. She knew that it might not be working but she still tried. Rumple´s magic was stronger than Cora´s so maybe it would be able to break the spell the witch placed on her hair. She stood up and went to the mirror that stood on a wall next to the bed.

Looking at herself made her uncomfortable. She was thin, thinner than she had been before. And she was pale , very pale. In her eyes she looked terrible and added to that she lost the thing that was most beautiful about her. Her hair.

Taking one last glance at her bald self she opened the vale and drank the potion. But as she expected, it wasn´t working. Her hair only grew back to the short length it was before the head shave. She looked so much like her stepdaughter now.

She began to cry and turned away from the mirror. Her mother was quick to hug her and comfort her. She needed her now more than ever.

,,Shh, it´s okay. It will grow back eventually. You just have to be patient. Do you want me to even it out for you?" Regina nodded saddened and followed her mother to the vanity that stood against another wall. The older woman tried to not cut too much but that was more difficult than she expected. But in the end her daughter really looked a lot like Snow.

Archie came to her house later that day to see Regina. The short-haired beauty was really happy to see him.

,,I missed you." She said and smiled lovingly at the young man. He smiled too and leaned in to stroke some hair away from her face and kissed her passionately.

,,I missed you too. I love you." He answered and leaned in for another kiss.

,,I love you too."


End file.
